APROSIC&HGarmentCo.manufacturingfactoryinSenegalChinesemanufacturinggroupC&HGarmentCo.hasdemonstrateditsconfidenceinSenegalwitha$25millioninvestmentfortheconstructionofitsDakarbranchinthenation’scapital.
LocatedintheDiamniadioInternationalIndustrialPark(PIID),thefactorywill“producejerseysandvariousoutfitsfortheinternationalmarket,”thecompany’sCo-FounderHelenHaitoldSenegalesePresidentMackySall.SallwasinKigali,Rwanda,wherethecompanyisalreadypresent,totakepartin10thExtraordinarySessionoftheAssemblyoftheAfricanUnionatwhich44AfricanStatessignedtheFrameworkAgreementontheAfricanContinentalFreeTradeAreainMarch.
AccordingtoHai,C&Hwillfirst“recruitandtrain1,500peoplebeforeraisingthisnumbertoatleast3,000.”ThecompanyplannedtoinstallthemanufacturingmachineryinMayandstartproductionwiththefirstbatchof1,500employeesinJune.
C&HhopestotakeadvantageofSenegal’sproximitytothemainimportingmarketsoftextileproducts,includingtheEuropeanUnion(EU)andtheUnitedStates.Senegalisrespectivelyfiveandsevenhoursawaybyairfromthesetwomainmarkets.ItbenefitsfromtheAfricanGrowthandOpportunityAct(AGOA)andcouldeventuallysigneconomicpartnershipagreementswiththeEU.ThecountryisalsopartoftheWestAfricanEconomicandMonetaryUnionandtheEconomicCommunityofWestAfricanStates.Theselasttwogroupsarecharacterizedbythefreemovementofgoodsandservicesinamarketencompassingmorethan300millionconsumers.
“IfourprojectinSenegalissuccessful,itwillhaveasnowballeffectthroughouttheAfricancontinent,”saidHai.
First,butnotlast
TheventureintoSenegalbeganbackin2015withthesigningofamemorandumofunderstandinginDakaronJuly5thatyearbetweentheNationalAgencyforPromotionofInvestmentandMajorWorksinSenegal(APIX)andC&H.ThecompanywasalreadyestablishedinEthiopia,KenyaandRwanda.TheprojectispartofthePlanEmergingSenegal(PES),whichservesasSenegal’ssolereferenceplanintermsofeconomicpolicy,accordingtoMountagaSy,ChiefExecutiveOfficer(CEO)ofAPIX.
ThegoalofthePESistotransformSenegalintoanemergingeconomyby2035.Itcontainsthreepillarsand27flagshipreformsandseekstoleveragethecountry’scomparativeadvantagessuchasitstextilesandclothingcluster.ForChinesepartners,Senegalisviewedasacountryofgoodgovernancewithanattractivebusinessenvironment.Besides,ChineseinvestorsareconfidentthatthisinvestmentisonlythefirstofaseriesofprojectsthatwillberealizedinSenegal’sindustrialsector.
“InadditiontocontributingtothedevelopmentofthePIID,thisfactorywillincreaseproductionoftheindustrialfabric,createasubcontractingframeworkwiththelocalprivatesectoranddiversifyexports,”saidSy.AbdoulAzizTall,SenegaleseMinisterresponsibleformonitoringthePES,addingthatthesmalllocaltextileindustryhasnothingtofearfromthearrivaloftheChinese.
“Thegovernmentwillneverconcludeanydealwithforeignpartnersthatwillresultinthesmotheringoflocalindustries.Thereisnothingtofearhere,”hesaid.
APROSIPIIDisattractingnewinvestmenttoSenegalConcernsamonglocaltailors
Despitethesereassurances,tailorsthatmakeupasignificantsegmentofthegarmentmanufacturingindustrywerequicktoraisetheirconcerns.InthetownsofThiès,KaolackandMbour,theyheldralliestoaskforclarityonthisnewmanufacturingplant.
“Everythingthatourmachinesproduce,theChinesemakeaswellandsellthematalowerprice.Andthisfactory,oncefunctional,willcompletelydominatetheSenegaleseknow-how,andsmallandmedium-sizedenterpriseswillbepushedtothevergeofbankruptcy,”saidMameDiarraDiallo,GeneralSecretaryoftheKaolackWomenTailorsAssociation.
TheSenegaleseTailors’MovementandtheFederationofAssociateDesignersandTailorsofSenegal(CCAS)alsovoicedtheirconcerns.TheformerwishestohaveitsownsiteinthePIID,whereitplanstodevelopwithitspartnerstotakeadvantageofAGOA.Thelatter,whichclaimsmorethan300,000membersalloverSenegal,thinksitisbetterabletofightunemployment.
“Ifthegovernmentwantstocreate5,000jobs,wecancreatethemrightaway.Wearethenumberoneemployerofyoungpeople,becauseeachtailorhasatleastfiveapprenticestowhomheprovideseverything,”saidCCASSecretaryGeneralTallaMbow.
However,theseconcernsmaynotbefullyjustified,accordingtoexperts.Indeed,90percentofuniformsandjeanstobeproducedbyC&H’sfactoryaredestinedforexport.
BachirDiop,CEOoftheSenegaleseTextileFiberDevelopmentCo.,hasalsoweighedinonthedebate.
“Thefactoryinquestion[C&H]doesnotyetmakeproductsthataremadehere.Wherearethecraftsmenorfactoriesmakingjackets,tracksuits,poloshirts,jeansandraincoatsinSenegal?Alltheseitemsareimportedfromabroad,”hesaid,emphasizingthatpeoplenowliveinaglobalizedworld.
“Iunderstandthattheir[tailors’]concernsneedtobeaddressed,namelythoserelatingtotraining,financingandtheavailabilityofadequateworkshops,buttheyshouldvoicetheseconcernsinadirectwayinsteadofcarryingoutafightthatisdifficulttomakesenseof,”saidIbrahimaMacodouFallDgoftheNewTextileSocietyofSenegal.
WhilewelcomingthearrivalofthisnewChineseinvestorinthegarmentmanufacturingsectorinSenegal,Dgsaysthatthereisaproblemwithinformationandcommunication.“Tailorsareafraidofthecompetitionfromthiscompanyontheirnationalterritory,whereastheannouncedprojectisexportoriented.Itplanstodevelopproductstotallydifferentfromthosemadebytailorsforthedomesticmarket.”
**ReportingfromSenegal
**Commentsto